Salem church’s new building boosts annual Apple Festival

Saturday

Oct 26, 2013 at 5:59 PMOct 26, 2013 at 5:59 PM

By Dirk LangeveldFor The Bulletin

SALEM — Forty-four years after the need for a new building inspired the Congregational Church of Salem to hold its first Apple Festival, the church was celebrating the incorporation of another structure into its property.

The Christian Community Center opened five days before the 2012 festival and was used for some functions at that event. This year, following a number of improvements and an approval for occupancy, the 4,800-square-foot building opened an Apple Café for baked goods sales.

“It’s a great thing for the town, too, that you can have events here, because there’s not too many places in town where you can do that,” said George Householder, a church member who was helping with sales Saturday at this year’s Apple Festival at the Hartford Road church.

Cheryl Johnson, a church member who was working at the apple fritter booth, said the community center has proved useful for the festival. A large freezer, formerly stored in the parsonage, has been moved to the building to store approximately 1,000 pies baked for the event and quickly bring them upstairs for sale.

The pie work requires about a month of advance planning. Householder said people get together in mid-September for a “dough day” to make the pie dough. Volunteers then get together in the following weeks to bake the desserts, usually at a pace of 100 to 150 pies a night.

Volunteers run all of the booths, selling everything from apple sundaes to apple cider. The apple fritters always prove to be one of the biggest attractions.

“Usually we have a line until we sell out,” Johnson said.

The festival began as a way to raise money for the church’s Christian Education building. The funds from the event continue to pay for church expenses, including missions and the property fund.

Householder said the festival eventually outgrew the Christian Education building. The congregation had the land available across the street from the church, and wanted a bigger kitchen and space to hold get-togethers such as concerts and worship services.

“It was great when they built it 44 years ago, but it’s gotten small,” Householder said of the Christian Education building.

Householder said the new building was a three-year project. With donations from the church and community, the congregation was able to put up the approximately $900,000 structure with no mortgage.

Judy Gadbois, who has helped out at the event since the first festival, said the day has grown in scope but remains a way of reaching out to the community. She said she is also impressed with the volunteerism of church members.

“I think it’s wonderful the way people pitch in, whether it’s for the day or the hour or making pies,” she said. “You get to know people a lot while making pies and working together.”

Gregg Reed, a Salem resident, was visiting the festival for the first time. He said he appreciated not only the event, but also other attractions nearby, such as the Salem Historical Society meetinghouse.

“The meetinghouse was probably my favorite part, but I did have an apple fritter,” he said.